Top Ten Things Learned on our Trip to San Diego

By: McKenna and Daniel Magalogo

10) Recycling. In California they recycle. I mean really recycle. Everywhere we went, the Zoo, SeaWorld walking around the Marina there were always two cans to throw away trash. Even in our hotel room we had two separate trash cans.

9) How expensive everything can be. Our joke was, "It's like we are living in an airport." Fancy Hotel equals expensive everything.  An omelet at the hotel restaurant was $16.50 and my favorite was purchasing a small fun size bag of chips for $3.99. The cheapest place to buy soda was in the gift shop. Who knew? We did find a vending machine on the other side of the Marina (none were found in the hotel) and they charged $2.75 for a soda. True story.

8) You can spend Christmas without snow.  We went swimming on Christmas Day and went to SeaWorld and the Zoo. We couldn't believe how packed those places were on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. We also loved how at the Shamu Christmas Celebration they sang actual Christmas Hymns during their show.

7) Chartered planes are better for travel. Bigger leg room, private security, complete with our own personal waiting area with couches and a big screen tv. For our first family flight together we think the kids were pretty spoiled :)

6) Plumerias, my favorite flower are free for the taking. Also you CAN sweet talk your way into the locked portion of the marina and then onto a boat. :)

5) Cheerleaders make the best babysitters. They fell in love with Elise and Carter. Playing games with them, braiding Elise's hair and my favorite was when a cheerleader asked Carter for a crayon while coloring, his response. "I'm not a sharing kind of guy."

4) At the Zoo on a guided bus tour we met a 4 day old Giraffe. Found out that its mother was pregnant for 15 months and that she gave birth standing up. Her baby was born equivalent to the size of a high school basketball player. Wow!

3) A Madagascar Live performance can make a child's day magical. We will never forget their faces during the performance, AMAZING!

2) Can't go wrong with field seats at the Poinsettia Bowl Game. Everything was so close it made the atmosphere so much more fun. The halftime fireworks show wasn't half bad either. Elise made it on the Jumbotron and you can almost say that you saw us on ESPN (You might have to squint).

1) The ride home with the head coach, families and players at midnight is much more fun when you win than when you lose. Way to go Aggies!